


Masquerade

by KillTheActor



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt No Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27666544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillTheActor/pseuds/KillTheActor
Summary: Hornet's in deepnest, when she suddenly catches a glimpse of a six eyed mask.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	Masquerade

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the discord for helping me with this idea!  
> And thanks to my incredible beta Choyniel!  
> Comments and kudos are my lifeblood and I hope you enjoy the fic!

Hornet was in deepnest, looking for a quick hunt, when she saw it. A quick flash of white, and three pairs of eyes in the darkness. She froze, her blood turning to ice in her veins, before running after it as quickly as she could. She knew, _she knew _, that the mask wearer was gone, long dead, but she couldn't help the hope that coursed through her.__

____

____

She continued following the glimpses, traveling farther and farther into deepnest. She didn't notice as the pit she jumped down led into a tunnel, but she did notice the webs snapping into place behind her. 

"Hey! What the hell is this?!" She exclaimed, attempting to break them with her needle. When that didn't work, she turned around, resigned, and traveled farther down the hallway as webs continued to close her in. She eventually entered an open cavern, and her eyes immediately locked onto the figure in the center of the room. Her entire form stilled briefly, eyes widening with shock. She was completely enraptured by them, and as such, didn't notice the webbed corpses hanging from the ceiling above her, nor the scent of infection that seemed to linger in the room. 

She staggered further into the room, her gait uneven, her needle held loosely in her grasp, not noticing as the final set of webs trapped her in the room. She opened her mouth, and with a trembling voice, said; 

_"...Mom?"_

Her mother cocked her head at Hornet, and then opened her arms, as if inviting her to come closer. Hornet hesitantly stepped towards her mother, and once she got about 10 steps away she stopped.

_Something was wrong._

Herrah was _dead_ , having been killed by Ghost as they broke the seals. Hornet shook her head, attempting to back up. The creature masquerading as her mother screeched, it's body body erupting into a spindly six legged form. Hornet watched in horror as the form of her mother was distorted into a monster, nearly dropping her needle. She staggered backwards, hitting the wall, only just barely managing to avoid the creature as it charged at her. 

She dodged sideways, avoiding a swipe from the creature's claws, and threw her needle at it, hitting it's vulnerable underbelly. The creature screamed, angered at the damage and pain. This pattern of attacking and dodging repeated for a few more minutes, until eventually Hornet landed the killing blow. 

She panted as the body fell over, seemingly disintegrating, until all that was left was- 

_The mask…_

Hornet stopped breathing, staring at the item on the ground. Her eyes went vacant as she remembered past memories. She absentmindedly walked towards it, dropping to her knees once she reached it. 

She picked the mask up, tracing her fingers over the eyes. She felt a droplet of water hit her hand, and looked up, confused, as there was no water down in deepnest. Her eyes stung slightly, and she moved her hands to wipe at them, freezing when they came away wet. She stared at the water on her hand, realizing that she was _crying._

Her breath caught, stuttering in her lungs, and her gaze moved from her hand to refocus on the mask in her lap. She stared at it, tears still quietly making their way down her face. Hornet's body started shaking, and she curled over the mask, sobbing. She cried for a lost childhood, and the loss of her mother, finally, _finally_ , allowing herself to grieve. 


End file.
